My 20 scraggy girls are getting used to their new home

We arrived home from the Little Hen Rescue centre at 17.30 and after releasing the chuckies, both Paul and I stayed with them until 10pm as the poor things have no sense of time or what is what in the natural environment.

We had to splash and swish the water in each of the drinking vessels to let them know where the water was, this took some time.

All they are used to eating is Layers Mash. Anyone who keeps chickens knows they like variety. We will gradually add corn and other nutritious foods such as greens chopped into the mash until they will eventually get used to different size and textured food. They will also get used to scratting and eating wild food.

The poor things are eating / laying machines, we had to literally put them in the hen house for the night. The photo below as taken at 21.30 last night.

Paul got up at 5am to let them out of the hen house. I went out at 08.30 and only 4 had ventured into the run. I had to guide them out. Paul tried placing them on the roosting bars last night (they have no idea what they are) most of them preferred the ground. With time, they should instinctively go to roost on the bars at the right time of evening (18.00 time). The couple you see on the bars are the only ones that remained roosting, also, I had to literally take them off otherwise they would have just stayed there (going back to battery hen thinking)

Its such a happy and rewarding sight to see these poor creatures exploring the run and being able to flap their wings, which is what they have been doing a lot, they most probably didnt know they existed until free from their cruel restricted dark squeeze.

Some girls are balder than others. Their feathers will all grow back in time. The worst poorly ones are kept at the centre in a special care unit until they are ready to be rehomed. Of course, some dont make it. They will have a dusting bath soon with sand and we will add the Mite powder, this is better than us trying to apply it, they will be able to dust it all over themselves. (Maybe I have to get in the sand bath first to show them how to do it! now there is a funny thought :-))

Comments

You kown just reading and looking at the photos in your blog, brings a lump to my throat, & to be honest brings a tear to my eyes, but at least these are a few of the lucky ones, well done for saving them.

Hi, again. Hope the chicks are settling down today - I cant help thinking about them. To be honest, I'm surprised the the company they came from have left themselves exposed to the life the poor things lead. How did you come by them Norfolk - I wouldnt mind getting some myself :)

Thanks everyone. Dawnsaunt, it was another member of GOY Donnah who got me going, she also rescued some. Visit the website http://www.littlehenresue.co.uk the actual Battery farmers dont expose themselves widely to the public, the LRH collect them from the source and take them to their care centre. All info is at the LRH website, they also have a Group on Facebook.

The website lists the next rescue dates, they have a webform if you or anyone you know is interested in rescuing a couple. They then send you confirmation of which time slot you have for collection on the day (every 15 minutes, ours was 15.45 yesterday).

im speachless to say the least,, you are a saint to give these hens a better life,,, im so sad to read this but so glad i have,, i must say i never buy anything but free range and never will, i cant abide cruelty in any form, great blog norfolk...

I have no doubt that these lucky chooks will look very different in a couple of weeks time. Would love to see update photos as they get settled in. I'm sure they are going to be very rewarding garden companions.

Thanks Tosh, I will update their progress for sure, along with the gardening environment that surrounds them and that they will be a part of eventually (especially for clearing up during autumn winter, my other chucks do a great deal of work for me :-)

I hope your friend has as much pleasure as we do Torchwood. All their feathers have grown and they are now doing everything a hen should do, scrat, bathe, roost and they are not laying their eggs anywhere, they use the built in egg laying boxes. They are now used to and enjoy a varied diet of corn, wild food they find themselves and greens.

Well done ~you deserve a medal~I do try to buy free range eggs only but there are a bewildering array of eggs in any supermarket~I shop in Sainsbury's and find myself reading all the blurb on the boxes!

They look amazing! We dont have room for hens in our garden at the moment, but our next door neighbours have 3 that were rescued like yours a few months ago. They had lost their feathers too but are now beautiful and happy :o) Its lovely to hear them clucking away! I hope to have chickens when I get my own garden!